


bet you rue the day you kissed a writer in the dark

by scumfucklesbian



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Author Adam Parrish, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Farmer Ronan Lynch, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Writer's Block, okay they aren't enemies but they sure are pissed off at each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-23 12:36:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scumfucklesbian/pseuds/scumfucklesbian
Summary: “Don’t you think maybe it’s time for a break, cowboy?”Adam barely raised his head to glare at her, his fringe already sticking to his forehead while the rest of his hair stuck out in too many directions at once like a wild birds nest.“I’m just saying, throwing a tantrum every three minutes ain’t gonna fix your burnout”(Adam Parrish, New York Times bestselling author, struggles to write his next novel. His friends force him to take a break at his editor's (admittedly handsome) best friend's seaside property.)





	1. Chapter 1

Adam slammed his head against his desk again.

The force from his forehead hitting his workspace and spewed first drafts was enough to dislodge his mug off the edge and sent it thumping down onto the carpet. Adam helplessly listened to the dull clatter of ceramic as he groaned, relieved that his coffee had run out hours ago.

Sitting perched in one of his decorative chairs in the tiny study, Blue raised her eyebrow at his frustration, lazily using her socked foot to kick the mug closer to his desk.

“Don’t you think maybe it’s time for a break, cowboy?”

Adam barely raised his head to glare at her, his fringe already sticking to his forehead while the rest of his hair stuck out in too many directions at once like a wild birds nest. Blue remained passive to his obvious irritation, shrugging her shoulders and forcefully slamming his laptop close regardless of the hiss of protest coming from between his clenched teeth.

“I’m just saying, throwing a tantrum every three minutes ain’t gonna fix your burnout”

“I’m sorry, not all of us have the means or time to fly to Barcelona just to destress, future Mrs Gansey,” Adam bit back, already trying to lift the screen of his ancient Mac again. Blue rolled her eyes, firmly keeping her hand in place on top of the laptop.

Adam knew he was being too cruel, the biting words coming from his mouth more out of his own personal annoyance than a grudge for Blue or her new boyfriend, who so happens to be his editor. 

In fact, Adam was more than peachy for them than anything else, regardless if they thought Adam was still sulking over his and Blue’s failed relationship from their teenage years. If Adam had said anything close to half the curses that left his mouth in the last three hours years ago, back when they still hadn’t matured yet, he had no doubt Blue would be spitting in his face and stomping on his crotch by now. Blue was fortunately used to his childish behaviour when he was cranky and didn’t take a word he said to heart. Instead, she cuffed him in the back of his head like a misbehaving child. Adam’s scowled deepened.

“Jealousy doesn’t look cute on you,” Blue murmured, forcefully pulling Adam’s rolly chair out from his desk and to the middle of the cramped room. Adam tried to swat at her arm but she only tugged harder, Maura Sargent’s determination carved into her face. “Seriously, your eyebags are starting to scare me.”

Adam craned his neck, feeling all his muscles screaming at him and his joints creaking as he finally stretched for the first time all evening. His back was killing him and his shoulders were aching, writing was the absolute last thing he wanted to do right now. 

Back when he was writing his first novel, he remembers having the motivation to write full action scenes and draft multiple chapters all in one sitting. He had passion then, running on nothing but pure adrenaline and survival need to bring life to the characters living in his head. Anything for the words on his screen to be binded behind pretty covers for children and teenagers to pick up and enjoy. Life was great then. Adam wrote for hours non-stop, his spine constantly creaking and his eyes bloodshot, but he couldn’t even  _ fathom _ stopping. Now his publisher was pushing his deadlines closer for prequels he didn’t even  _ want _ and writing became an impossible chore. It felt like someone had placed a dam where his excitement had once been and permanently closed-off the tap to his creativity.

If Henry were with them now and not in Sicily or Santorini or wherever his modelling agency sent him for the weekend, he would pour Adam a glass of red and tell him he was suffering from writer's block.

It was all a frustrating mess.  _ He _ was a frustrating mess to everyone who cared about him, especially Blue, who should be at home right now, enjoying the sickening honeymoon phase of her relationship with Gansey instead of babying Adam to take care of himself like a functioning adult. 

He probably wouldn’t have remembered dinner if Blue wasn’t constantly peering over him with a hand on her hip and her stubbornness only Adam has ever managed to beat.

“What good is an author that can’t even write, Blue,” he lamented, cringing at the self-pity he could hear in his own voice.

Words used to come to him like the magic he wrote in printed pages, the ease of sentence structures just vomited on a page that he was actually satisfied with. He missed it, the simple flow of thoughts and descriptions like water streams flowing back into the sea. It was really the nostalgia of his dusty love for writing that kept him motivated when only dread wanted to keep him company these last few months.

He missed it all.

“Stop with that pity party shit, you’re Adam Parrish for fuck’s sakes!” Adam reeled back at Blue’s swearing, betrayed by her sudden use of dirtier language after spending way too much time with Henry, “You’re a New York Times best-selling author! Three published works and multiple awards? Hello? Ring any bells?”

Adam stared up at her helplessly, his head lolled onto his shoulder as she grasped him by the arm to drag him outside the study door. The air suddenly felt clearer and Adam wasn’t suffocating anymore, headache searing through his skull at the sudden shift in lighting. He was actually grateful for the houseplants the Fox Way ladies kept on insisting he decorated his apartment with.

The reminder of his past successes doesn’t lift his mood. It only managed to fuel his misery as he gave Blue a glassy look, shoulders hunched and hair dishevelled.

Blue patted his cheek lightly, forcing him to look her in the eyes. Adam usually wouldn’t cower under her gaze, but now he was exhausted and weak enough to feel a little intimidated by her fierceness.

“Take a break, go on vacation or something!” Adam gave her a deadpanned look, ”Or start dating again! When was the last time you had someone in your bed? College?”

“No”

Blue groaned at his stubbornness, pulling him down so their height difference didn’t give Adam any advantages. Adam hated arguing with his best friend, no matter how much he felt like she should mind her own business. He bit down on his tongue before he started lashing out, his dating life still a sore subject since Eliza left him for being  _ ‘too married to his work _ ’. Blue cuffed him in the back of the head like that was enough to change his mind.

“Listen here you stubborn bastard, Gansey has a friend with property near a seaside town,” It was Adam’s turn to groan, Blue’s glower only grew more intense as she muffled his mouth with her palm.”It’s beautiful, quiet and surrounded by nature. You  _ are _ going to spend three weeks there and you  _ aren’t _ going to do any work during your stay,  _ got it _ ?”

“I don’t want to spend time at a stranger’s house because of your boyfriend, especially since my deadline is so close,  _ Blue please _ ,” Adam pled.

“ _ Adam _ ,” Blue warned, pushing hair out of his eyes, the frown on her lips wounding Adam more than any of her tough words, “We’re worried about you, moron”

Adam bit hard down on his bottom lip. Blue continued to gently brush his hair, knowing Adam was too tense and strung out, ready to snap, to fight. With a deflated sigh, Adam led Blue to the door as he wrapped her coat from the rack around her tiny shoulders.

“I’ll think about it”

Blue nodded, visibly unsatisfied by Adam’s answer but ready to compromise, “Promise me you’ll actually consider it.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and Adam returned her platonic affection. She sighed and waved, “Take care of yourself Adam”

Adam closed the door after watching her disappear down the dim hallway, slumping miserably to the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay be patient with me as i try to research about writing, publishing, editing and Ireland. why did i think writing a fic about things i don't know jackshit about was a good idea? beats me. it's all for the angst.


	2. Chapter 2

Adam Parrish was anything but spontaneous.

If his body felt more than nothing but a skeleton, he would’ve carefully balanced the pros and cons of taking such a massive break and accepting an offer from Gansey of all people. But here he was, standing in a crowd of aeroplane passengers waiting for a flight to County Clare of all places without a single plan or idea of what to expect the moment he left American soil.

Blue gave him the whole week to think it over, she doesn’t drop by or even call through the entire time. Adam was grateful.

He prods the idea over and over again, slumped over his laptop like a workaholic, dissecting everything wrong with abandoning his life and New York for a couple of weeks. By Wednesday morning, he was calling Blue to tell her he’s made up his mind, and by Saturday night, he was dragging his feet to JFK airport with his modest luggage in tow.

And it wasn’t like Adam hadn’t been across the ocean before. God knows all those times Henry dragged him out of their shared dorm room back in Harvard to foreign islands he’s never even heard of for winter break. But this was the first time he would be alone, living with a complete stranger, defenceless to the rumoured cooler climate. Adam shivered in fear, excitement and cold air conditioning. 

He doesn’t remember the last time he’s surrounded by so many people at once, his human communication seemed to cease the moment the work with his second book slowed down to the occasional email every three to five working days.

Adam blinks feverishly, suddenly aware he was outside and awake, alive and breathing.  
  
  


A dreadful six hour plane ride later of doing absolutely nothing productive but scrolling through Henry’s snaps and reading his book reviews on Goodreads (two completely different kinds of self-torture), Adam found himself completely lost in the middle of Shannon Airport.

There were maybe less than half the number of people at Shannon than JFK but Adam was still overwhelmed. He wasn't a fan of flights, keeping his limit to two a year. His joints protested as he stumbled around aimlessly, trying to get used to the slew of sounds attacking him all at once in his working ear. A polite staff member asked him if he needed assistance booking a cab to a hotel, Adam could only smile tersely in embarrassment, unable to explain he had someone picking him up, the only problem was he didn't know _who_.

Gansey, in the excitement of his two close friends finally meeting and wanting to keep the visit mostly a surprise for Adam, didn’t give Adam too many details, one of which was unfortunately what the infamous Ronan Lynch even _ looked like _. He texts Gansey with his international line, wandering around the crowded area like a confused puppy as he waited for a reply that didn’t seem to be coming anytime soon considering how it was barely past two am back in NYC. Adam groaned, admitting defeat and sat around one of the benches like a forgotten lost and found item.

“Adam Parrish?” A voice called out from above him. Adam peered up, exhaustion lining his movement. He blinked dumbly at the handsome man towering over him, looking annoyed with a scowl and teeth tugging on leather wristbands.

Adam’s surprised to find him without an Irish accent.

“_Parrish?” _ the man repeated himself, voice gruff without the welcoming tone Adam had been expecting colouring it.

Adam took a double-take.

In fact, everything about the stranger in front of him was nothing like Adam had been expecting. Blue told him he’ll be living with one of Gansey’s closest friends. But the man, with his cold blue eyes and shaved down head, looked like he belonged in a restraining order away from the entire Gansey lineage instead of having sleepovers with the youngest heir of their fortune. He sized Adam up, Adam doesn’t back down in challenge.

Adam didn’t want to judge Gansey’s judgements in people but he was sceptical. He couldn’t even imagine the two men being in the same room, let alone best friends since high school. He puts away the novel in his lap back into his carry on, standing up and allowing his eyes to study the man. Tall, dark clothes and blue eyes more piercing than mesmerising. If they had met on the streets as strangers, he would’ve never guessed the other man worked on a farm for a living, or the other eccentric stories Gansey told about him. Adam believed him about the other man owning a pet raven though, already imagining a big, menacing bird perched on his shoulder like a Disney villain.

He looked at Adam in distaste, Adam returns the sentiment. 

Adam shrugged, Gansey always did have strange tastes in people. He’s dating Blue after all.

“_You’re _ Ronan Lynch?”

“Who else would be fucking calling for your name at the airport, Harvard”

The way Ronan spat out the word _ ‘Harvard’ _ was enough to tick Adam off already. He said it like, the college Adam had fought tooth and nail for all his life, was something below him. Something disgusting. Adam wouldn’t mind kneeing his face in right now, he laments surviving what was supposed to be a peaceful holiday with such a crude man, the last of his reserved politeness evaporating quickly.

Maybe if he spent every day outside, away from Lynch, he would actually come out of this nightmare alive. He could even rent a room at one of the inns around town, if it really got too bad. He would get through this, it’ll be fine.

Adam frowned, Ronan remained passive to Adam’s obvious irritation and led them away from the other tourists, grumbling something about body odour under his breath. Adam rolled his eyes, catching Ronan by the wrist before Ronan snatches it back immediately. 

“Will this be a long drive? I haven’t eaten”

“_Long drive _? This is Clare County, the Barns is all the way in Kerry, forty three miles from here”

“_Forty three _? Oh you’ve gotta be shitting me”

“Nope,” Ronan popped the _ p _ with an irritating grin, walking ahead to leave Adam scrambling to catch up with him while carrying his baggage, ”It’s a two hour drive, city boy”

Adam groaned again, forced to quicken his pace.  


Walking to the parking lot, Adam gaped as he watched Ronan walk towards a very expensive-looking BMW. It’s charcoal paint job looked fresh and Adam felt envy rise at the easy way Ronan slid into the driver’s seat.

Ever since his books got published, Adam lived comfortably. He wasn’t rich but he was no longer working three jobs and living paycheck to paycheck. He could afford an apartment in New York and to sell the old Hondayota for a newer car. In his opinion, that was all he needed, his upbringing keeping him humble with his expenditure.

But watching Ronan shift the gears smoothly as he sunk into the undoubtedly costly leather seats, Adam could feel the old memories of reading his mother’s magazines and pretending those car models with their cadillacs and pressed suits was him stir again.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a farmer?”

Ronan smirked, stepping on the accelerator.

With his mood already soured by Ronan’s brashness, Adam admittedly sulked a majority of the ride in the passenger seat. He pressed his forehead to the window, feigning full deafness when Ronan complained about leaving smudges, his annoyance slowing down to a simmer as the landscape stole his breath away the further away they drove from the urban areas. 

Adam hasn’t seen wide-open skies and so much green sprawled everywhere since he left Henrietta lifetimes ago. 

He had lived like this once, sunk in nature and seeking refuge in the soil he was birthed from. Mud and dirt colouring his skin and streams flowing in his veins. Back when he was working at Boyd’s or when he hid from his father, it was always to run into the edge of the woods, sleeping behind thick tree roots and digging up holes to hide his possessions like they were treasures.

That younger him, the one with bird songs coming out of his throat, feral and wild, had died years ago though. Living surrounded by concrete and unaccented conversations had made his skin lose its tan and his freckles fade. His fingertips remain calloused, unable to sandpaper down the battle scars of his upbringing from his damaged body.

Adam sits upright, letting the view fully charm him and steal his breath away.

“There are snacks in the glove compartment”

Adam snapped his head from his nostalgic daydream of running around in the grass with Blue to stare at Ronan. His eyes were trained on the road, the green rushing past them framing his profile, softening his edges somehow, enough for Adam to be overwhelmed and look away.

“Huh?”

“You said you haven’t eaten, there’s a bunch of shit Gansey made me swear to get for you in the glove compartment”

Adam scrambled to open said compartment, watching with wide eyes and twitching lips as a mess of snacks fell into his lap. He quickly grabbed the packet of red twizzlers without thinking, blessed Gansey remembered his favourites, as he absently chewed on the liquorice.

“They were a pain in my ass to find so be fucking grateful, runt”

Adam looked up again, the twizzler hanging from his mouth to study Ronan again. It definitely wasn’t his imagination, Ronan _ did _ look softer, less intense to look at. His eyebrows were still fixed into a scowl but there was warmth in his voice that made Adam stutter, realising the kindness behind the thinly veiled insult for what it was. His thoughtfulness burned a hole in Adam, something beating in his chest, quiet enough it was easy to ignore but too uncomfortable to forget about.

They barely knew each other for more than an hour at most but Adam could already gauge the kind of person Ronan was. And yet he remained a complete enigma.

Adam gulped and finished off the twizzler before looking away, back to the scenery, “Thank you”

Ronan doesn’t respond except for an annoyed grunt, Adam looked back out of the window to stop himself from looking to his right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i live on an island in Asia, so feel free to correct me on anything i get wrong about Ireland or NYC


End file.
